Can We Survive?
by Princess Xomiko
Summary: Zombiestuck/Humanstuck! The characters of Homestuck are now stuck in a post apocalyptic world trying their hardest to survive. Will all of them pull through? Who will be left? Is there anyway to end this disease? (Multi-pairing, mainly DaveKat)
1. Chapter 1

**I found this comic on Youtube of Zombiestuck and it inspired this story. I've grown really attached to Homestuck, if you haven't read it then you should. As for my 07 Ghost story, I'm not sure how I want to end it quite yet so it's on pause until I do. So I started this one. Hope you enjoy it! This chapters shorter because it's just an intro of course, they'll get long.**

**And if there's any certain pair you want to see a little of then let me know and I'll do what I can :)**

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Weeks. This has been going on for fucking weeks. Why won't they just disappear? What sins did they do that was so bad to cause this mess? Being caught in a murder, being shot, drown, stabbed, any of it was better. Getting caught by these things would be on a whole new level of dread. Their fingernails tearing your skin to shreds while their dull teeth devoured it. It fucking hurts, and takes forever. That's why you always save a bullet for at least yourself, or else you're really screwed.

Karkat sat on the balcony of the apartment complex they took temporary shelter in. It was starting to rain, and rain makes things more dangerous. Luckily the balcony above blocked the drops of liquid from reaching him. He stares down at the disaster, the corpses shuffling slowly, the rain not bothering them at all. His eyes moved up and examined the building across the way. Windows stained with streaks of blood or broken, the first few bottom floors charred from a fire. It looked horrible. His thoughts were interrupted as his stomach roared for food. He gripped it tightly.

Before this happened he wasn't much of an eater. So he passed his food on to someone in the group who needed it more, but he must've done it one too many times. It was starting to hurt. He groaned in annoyance and lean back against the rail of the balcony, letting his messy black hair fall over his eyes. He heard the door to the balcony and watched red and white chucks step out.

"What do you want Strider?" Karkat asked, snapping a little since his hunger pains were making him prissy.

"I brought something for you," Dave responds and positions himself next to the shorter male. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a granola bar. Holy shit a granola bar!

"Where did you get that?!" Karkat looked up the blonde male in astonishment. How would someone like Dave Strider find something good like a goddamn granola bar! Well that was Dave, always pulling some magical 'cool dude' shit, but it pays off quite often.

"Just take it Karkles, you've passed up food the past three times. You'll die of starvation and I'd be upset." Dave stated, shoving the bar towards Karkat. Karkat stared at it and then at Dave. Ever since the outbreak, the two have stuck together no matter what. Even if in a group, they've always looked out for each other first. But Karkat has noticed That Dave is much more useful than himself, considering his fighting skills. So Karkat always gave his food to Dave, saying he needed the energy. Guess Dave's not so blind. He always looked after Karkat, and that's what made him love Dave so much. But love is dangerous in this new world, you lose everything you love. That's why he won't tell, he doesn't want to lose his Strider.

Karkat sighed and took the bar and opened it slowly. These were never his favorite, but at this point they were fucking magical. "Thanks." He muttered and took a bite. He instantly felt better and leaned his head back.

"Do you think this will ever get better?" Dave asked, his eyes shifting to Karkat. But the shorter male couldn't see his eyes due to the glasses. He used that as a chance to always stare at the other, to admire him in every way.

"God only knows Dave. And I'm always the one to question shit, let's not switch rolls. I don't think I'd be very good with a sword." Karkat answered, earning a little laugh from Dave.

"No, you'd suck." Dave retorted, earning a playful elbow in is side. He laughed more and wrapped an arm around Karkat's shoulders and laid his head on the others. "But don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

"I know."

The door slammed open and the 'leader' of the newest group they found stepped out. She wasn't really a leader, more like a tyrant, but you're always better in numbers. Her name was Vriska. Hate to admit it but she could be pretty badass, and she was always quick to act. She may not have a big heart but she's good at survival, that's why she's the leader.

"What are you two doing out here?" She questioned.

"Just enjoying the view," Dave answered, moving his arm in a sweeping motion. "Today's forecast has a chance of wet flesh mixed with smoke and rotting bodies." Karkat couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Not funny Strider. I expect you to take me seriously if you want to stay with u-" She began to rant but was cut off by a scream. They all looked inside to see the door burst open and the walking dead flooding in. They must have followed the scent of the injured. Dave and Karkat got to their feet.

"Karkat think of something quick!" Dave yelled and shut the balcony door shut, keeping it closed with Vriskas help. This is what Karkat does. Dave gives him time to find a plan, he's always been really smart, but he needs time for it. He scanned his surroundings. They were on the 3rd floor, still too high to jump. He heard the rattling of the door and glanced over. "Focus Karkat, I'm fine just do your thing!"

Karkat nodded and looked over the balcony then above. The other floor balconies weren't very far away from the one they were on. Maybe four feet give or take a little. "I think we can climb down to the other balconies." He spoke and hesitantly swung one leg over the railing, now straddling it. He hated doing this stuff. With a quick movement he swung his leg over, now on the outside and gripping it for dear life, his knuckles turning white. Dave watched with worry, what if he slips and falls? Karkat inhaled and slowly descended towards the lower balcony, hanging by just his hands. His feet flailed in the air but eventually made contact with the railing. He glanced through the door; it looked pretty empty. "Come on down guys!"

Dave nodded his head, telling Vriska to go. She jumped at the opportunity and quickly followed Karkat's directions and made it to the lower balcony. Dave grabbed the chair to block the door for a few extra seconds and hurried to the edge, climbing over. Suddenly the door burst open. All Dave could do was let go or they'd get him. Would Karkat hate him for dying? Dave released the rail and jumped off. He'd rather have Karkat remember him as human than as one of those things. He closed his eyes, ready to meet the ground, but it never came. He opened his eyes. He was hanging in the air. He started flailing, in fear one of the monsters had caught him.

"Quit you dumbass! You'll make me drop you!" Yelled Karkat, Dave looked up to see Karkat gripping his arm, half way over the railing wit Vriska holding his legs. A smile curled onto Dave's lips, of course Karkat saved him, again. The two hoisted him up and collapsed when he was save. "Jesus let's not do a trust fall like that again!" Karkat snapped, catching his breath. Dave couldn't help but smile.

"You're both crazy ass idiots!" Vriska snapped.

"Well if it wasn't for Karkat we'd all be zombie food so I suggest you shut your trap." Dave responded calmly as he rises to his feet and brushes himself off. "Well what's our next step Karkles?"

Karkat sighs at the nickname but puts it aside and stands. "Well we're on the second floor now. Even if we climbed down to the first, we'd still be too high to jump. The street is pretty bare now so if we quietly went through the building, we should be able to get out."

"_Should_ be able to get out? The buildings filled with them now!" Vriska cut in.

"But they're all shuffling to the third floor. It's an all you can eat buffet right now. That's why the street is so empty. This is our chance Vriska." Karkat explained, keeping his voice low as he pries the balcony door open. As he creeps in silently he about gags; a pungent scent fills his nostrils and he plugs his nose. Dave stands back watching from the balcony. Karkat's a lot lighter so he's more quite, so he's usually the scout ahead as long as Dave is close behind. Karkat glances around and spots a corpse in the hallway, or part of a corpse. The skeleton lies there barely holding its shape. Flesh hanging off the bones now discolored from so much exposure and dropping off as it gets loose. An eyeball on the ground next to skeleton facing Karkat's direction. "Ew…" He mumbled and crept over to the door and presses his ear against the door, listening for anything. Not a sound came from the hall. He waves his hand at Dave, motioning for him to follow.

"Let's go Vriska. Please stay quiet." Dave said and followed in Karkat's footsteps and plugs his nose as the smell hits him. He spots the skeleton and gags a little. He hears Vriska coughing and gagging and hurries over to Karkat. Karkat looks back at him and grips the doorknob. Dave nods as he reaches down and takes Karkat's hand and smiles. Karkat's cheeks turn a light shade of red and he turns back to the door and pushes it open slowly. He scans the hall from end to end; nothing in sight.

"The stairs are to the right side of the hall." Vriska whispers, staying close behind Dave.

Karkat leads the trio down the hall at a slow pace, trying his best not to creak the boards at his feet. As they approach the staircase, Vriska stumbles over a board sticking up and falls into a luggage cart, tipping it over. The metal clangs against the floor with a loud ringing that seemed to echo forever. The sound went silent and the group stood there watching the hallway. As if someone pressed play on a movie, the hall came to life as zombies flooded out of the rooms and charged them.

"Run!" Dave yelled and gripped Karkat's hand tighter so he wouldn't lose it as he ran. They sprinted down the stairs, the zombies hot on their tail. They reached the first floor and battered a few lingering zombies out of their path. The door was in sight, just a little further!

They burst through the doors and onto the street. Panting, sweaty, and exhausted, but they couldn't rest quite yet. They jogged down the street to escape the herd. Dave and Karkat's hands still laced together, Vriska trailing right behind them. Hopefully they'd find others, maybe some food and a place to rest. at least somewhere safe before dark.

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**It's summer so I can write more so I'll hopefully have the next chapter up! Rate and review, Love you guys! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter guys! I now have a couple requests for certain couples but if there's any more you guys want, let me know!**

**I hope this chapter turned out OK, I definitely made it longer than the first which was one of my goals. I hope you guys enjoy it and I'll get the next chapter up soon!**

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Karkat shuffled along the road. His feet ached from constantly moving and he wanted to just collapse and sleep for days. Dave glanced over and noticed the state was in. He stopped the shorter male and crouched in front of him. Karkat raised an eyebrow then a blush crept onto his face when he realized what Dave was doing. Dave wanted to give him a piggyback ride. He shuffles his feet a little then hesitantly climbs onto Dave's back. As Dave stands Karkat squeaks slightly and holds onto him tightly, earning a chuckle from Dave.

"S-Shut up Strider!" Karkat snaps, the blush growing brighter.

"Sorry Karkles, you're just too cute," Dave responded as he hooked his arms under Karkat's rear and kept walking. It was actually really quiet on the streets. They camped out on a roof the previous night and headed out early. Vriska still stuck with them, even though she acted like she hated every minute of it. But she got better at toning down on her insults, which helped with everyone's' head aches. Even if Karkat didn't want to admit it, she was a great addition to them. She was skilled at making weapons with everyday household objects, she could easily start fires, and wasn't dumb when she needed to think smart and quick. Over all she pretty much what you needed to survive, she just had a really shitty attitude. Se was still a mystery thought.

Karkat and Dave found their group in an old grocery store scavenging. They offered her group help and tagged alone. They were with the group for a good week, but she kept herself pretty distant from everyone. Karkat got chills the first couple days whenever he looked at her because of her eye patch. Was it real? But she pushed everyone away using her bitchy attitude. But when she thought know one was looking, she always looked so lonely and miserable.

"So what's your story Vriska? We don't really know anything about you." Karkat finally asked, glancing over at the girl. She was actually quiet pretty if you could get past the shitty attitude.

"My story huh?" She questioned then sighed. "I lived her since I was little, but when I turned 10 my family moved. When I entered high school we moved back because of jobs. But luckily my old friends were still here. I've gone to private school all my life so I didn't have very many, only three. They were still the greatest people. I was on the outskirts of town when the outbreak happened and I haven't found them yet. That's my main goal, find who I can and keep them alive."

"Who were your friends?" Dave asked.

"Terezi, Aradia, and Tavros."

"I know them! Aradia hung out with my friend Sollux and Tavros hung out with my friend Gamzee too. I'm not familiar with Terezi though." Karkat spoke. It really was a small world when you think about it. "I'm hoping to find Gamzee and Sollux. Strider wants to find his dad."

"That's nifty." She replied. There came here attitude again.

"And your eye?"

"You're just full of all sorts of questions!" She caught herself and inhaled. "At to beginning of the outbreak I merged into a really rough crowd. I stole some food cause I was getting ready to leave. Well they caught me and loosing my eye was punishment." She explained.

Karkat fell silent, not sure what to say. They all walked in silence, until near by gunshots echoed out. All their heads all snapped in the direction of the shot. Then the city came to life. Zombies started emerging from the discrete spots, limping towards the noise. Vriska glanced behind them, a group herding together and shuffling down the street. Dave set Karkat down and took his and began to run. The only direction they could run was towards the shooting. Good idea? No, but they didn't have any other choice. As they ran, clouds began to surround the sun, outnumbering it until they engulfed it completely. Not only were they running towards someone with a gun, but also the landscape had suddenly turned 10 shades darker, making it harder to see.

The trio rounded a corner and stopped dead in their tracks. A pick up sit in the middle of a giant horde, a group standing on top if the roof, trying to stay out of reach. They were trembling from terror, holding onto each other tightly. There were two girls and one man. The man was oddly large, muscle wise. He wore black square sunglasses that were full of cracks. His hair was long, tangled and messy. He wore leather pants and a leather jacket to protect his body. One girl wore a strange blue hat, her hair curling at the ends under the hand slightly. She wore simple shorts and a tank top and an odd green dust sweeper-looking thing. The third girl caught Vriska's eye. She had obnoxiously bright red glasses covering her eyes, short brown hair, and a cane with a dragonhead on top. She wore a black shirt and jeans, also pretty simple. She glanced over and spotted the tree and gasped.

"Vriska!" The girl with the red sunglasses yelled. She waved her arms in the air.

"Tere-" Vriska went to yell but Dave covered her mouth. She started to squirm, trying to get his hand off her mouth.

"If you yell, they'll come after us!" Dave hissed quietly and looked around. "You're up KitKat."

"That ones new," Karkat sighed and looked around, surveying the area. There wasn't much to work with accept tall buildings. If they went up to a roof and threw a rope down then the zombies would follow up through the building and they'd all be screwed. He began to chew on his bottom lip again. He did that when he started to grow nervous. A hand touched his back, making him jump. He looked back, it was just Dave. Karkat relaxed and looked around more. These tall buildings had to be useful some how. The zombies are attracted to sound. Their gunshots echoed enough to bring a horde here. Sound. Echo. That's it! Karkat quickly dug through his bag and pulled out his small handgun.

"What is tat for Karkat?" Dave asked cautiously.

"We're surrounded by tall buildings. Which mean sound travels. I'm going to sneak further away and lure as many of them away as possible. When there's enough gone, you two help them out. I'll meet you all at te church OK?" Karkat explained, making sure the gun is loaded.

"That's way to dangerous Karkat. We promised each other that we wouldn't leave each others sides unless we absolutely had too!" Dave snapped. He couldn't risk losing Karkat.

"Then what do you expect us to do?!"

"I'll do it," Vriska stepped in. She pulled her own gun out and pulled the safety off. "Don't you dare argue either. Find somewhere to hide." Vriska ordered and snuck away through the ally. Dave took Karkat's hand and hurried off to another car and ducked behind it, pulling Karkat down beside him.

Moments later more shots rung out, the sound bouncing between buildings. Surprisingly, a large amount of the horde shuffled towards the noise. They probably grew tired of reaching for air and wanted to do something at least a little more interesting. Dave and Karkat watched them disappear into the distance. There were only around 16 zombies left surrounding the truck. Hopefully the three would catch on and help them. Karkat picks up his bat and walks out with Dave and whistles, catching the zombies' attention. Karkat began to attack them, smashing their heads in, a very audible squishing sound emanating from the hits. Dave used his sword to slice through the heads, silent and deadly. The girl with the blue hat blinked but caught on quickly. She hopped off the truck, landing one of her feet against a zombie's head and bringing it to the ground, crushing it between her foot and the concrete. She shook it off with a disgusted expression. Once finished she reached under her coat and pulled out an brass knuckle blade, a blade sticking out on each side and spike sticking off on each finger loop. She swung her arm and jams a blade into the head of a zombie.

The girl with the red glasses jumped down and started to swing her cane, bashing heads in with the dragonhead like Karkat did with his bat. She cackled, her lips curling into a smile. Was she having fun? The man, now sweating profusely, hopped down and killed zombies with a board from the truck bed. At least he didn't use the gun. The group eventually weeded the little group down to zero. They were all sweating and panting softly from all the work they had just done. Dave sheathed his sword again and walked over to Karkat and began to check for bites. Karkat sighed but let Dave do his thing. This usually happened after they attacked bigger groups, just Dave being paranoid.

"Thank you for helping us," The girl with the blue hat smiled, putting away her weapon. She walked over to the large man and hooked her petite arm with his muscular arm. It was the perfect image for opposites. He was probably about three times her size, but he seemed so nervous, like he was really the smaller one and she was larger. The red glasses girl walked over, wiping her cane off with a chunk of cloth. She grinned playfully and patted Karkat's back roughly, making him wince slightly.

"Yeah no kidding!" She spoke, his voice full of humor.

"No problem," Karkat grumbled, rolling his shoulders back trying to nullify the pain. He didn't even know her name but she really bugged him, like a fly that constantly flies around your face. "Let's keep moving Dave, We need to get to the church."

"What about Vriska!" The red glasses girl yelled.

"Would you please quiet down," Karkat snapped then took a deep breath. "At least tell us your names."

"I'm Terezi," the girl with red glasses grinned.

"I'm Nepeta and this is Equius," the girl with the blue hat purred and the man waved slightly.

"I'm Dave and this cutie is Karkat," Dave smiled and Karkat blushed.

"L-Let's get to the church." Karkat began to walk quickly, Dave right on his heels, the three newbies trailing further behind. Vriska knew to go to the church when she escaped the horde, hopefully she'd be there when they got there.

The group walked on and Karkat stopped and groans. They had gone the wrong way and now they were lost, again. They've been wandering around for a couple hours and now it was almost dark. Apparently none of them were to familiar with the area, which made matters worse. Luckily they've managed to avoid most zombies, only having to kill handful. Nepeta pointed to the street to their left, better than nothing. As they moseyed down the pavement, noise started to grow louder, moaning and groaning. Dave put his hand out to signal for them to stop. Karkat crept forward and peeked around the corner. A mob had filling the street from building to building. They pretty much stood in place, a few moving but barely. He recognized a lot of them from the horde Vriska led away earlier that day, but apparently it picked up quite a few strays. He felt someone tapping his shoulder and pulled back and looked up at Dave, who was pointing further down the street. A tall man stood about a block away, wearing a beat up hockey mask. He began to leisurely walk towards them, his long legs getting him there even faster. His long legs were covered but filthy, old looking, dark purple pajama pants with lighter purple polka dots. His hair looked like a crazy cotton ball that's never been brushed and he wore a black shirt with stains that looked like dried blood.

He picked up a brick as he passed by it and stepped next to a car that was right across from them. He turned his head to look at the group. In what seemed like a split second he smashes the brick into the car window, making the alarm go off. The horde simultaneously turns in the direction of the noise and locks on to the psycho stranger and Karkat's group. They instantly burst into their fastest walk they could manage.

"What were you thinking?!" Karkat yelled. There was no need to be silent anymore. The man laughed and pulled out a gun. He pointed it at the group, one at a time. He lingered on Karkat the longest, studying the shorter male. Karkat stared back, not stepping down. Dave, on the other hand, decided to act on his own and stepped in front of Karkat and pressed his hand against the hilt of the sword, ready to draw it. The next moment that stranger shifted his gun to the right and pulled the trigger. What felt like forever was only a few seconds. A bullet flew through the air and collided with Terezi's leg, flying straight through and making her scream and falls to her knees, blood spilling out of the wound. Nepeta kneeled beside her. Karkat growled but Dave shook his head.

"There's no time to deal with him. Now that she's injured we'll move even slower. We need to move." Dave ordered and drew his sword. Nepeta and Karkat both wrapped an arm around Terezi and hoister her up onto her good leg, helping her walk. Equius grabbed her cane and followed, keeping an eye on the man. Dave began to lead the group at a slow pace, watching out for the tall freak. The man followed their pace on the other side, staring. He glanced back at the mass of zombies and cocked his gun and shot again, firing a bullet through Terezi's other leg, causing her to collapse, bringing Nepeta and Karkat with her. Dave cursed and hurried back to them. At this point they'd all become zombie food. Equius helped Nepeta and Karkat both up and Karkat glanced back and his eyes grew wide. Not only were the zombies' growing closer, but one of the zombies in the front line caught his eye. A female, medium length black hair, dirty jean jacket, scuffed up converse, and an eye patch over one of her eyes. Vriska. Vriska was mixed into the horde. Karkat suddenly felt a knot form in his stomach and he suddenly felt like throwing up. It was his plan that made this happen to her, it was his fault she had become what she's tried so hard to kill. Dave followed his gaze and blinked. He knew how Karkat was; he'd blame himself for this. He walked up and wrapped one arm around Karkat's small waist and pulled him close to himself and used the other hand to cover his eyes.

"Shh Karkat, it's OK," Dave whispered in the other males ear gently. He could feel Karkat's small frame trembling. "We need to go Karkles." He kissed the back of Karkat's neck right under his hairline, making the other shiver lightly. He smiled and slowly guided Karkat so he wasn't facing the herd. Nepeta tried dragging Terezi but just earned a scream in pain.

A zombie wondered over from the side ally right beside them. Equius scooped up Nepeta and moved quickly. The zombie stumbled and fell beside Terezi. She tried fighting it off but it gripped her arm and chomped down. Nepeta yelled and pulled out Equius's gun and shot the zombies' head, splattering blood all over. Her efforts were wasted though as the heard reached Terezi, Vriska being the first to advance on her body. Dave took the gun and aimed carefully and shot a bullet through Terezi's head, ending her suffering. He then picked up Karkat bridal style and began to job, Equius following while carrying a weeping Nepeta. Karkat was completely silent, zoning out and getting lost in thought. He came back into focus as he spotted the man that caused this whole mess. He waved and disappeared into an alley. Karkat stared at the opening for a long while. But being carried by Dave took the stress off his body and made fatigue and exhaustion hit him like a cannonball. He let his head fall against Dave's shoulder and his eye lids grew heavy like metal and shut, making him drift to sleep. Dave smiled and held him closer. He won't let anything hurt his Karkat.

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**A tall, crazy, pajama wearing stranger. Hmm wonder who that could be ;)**

**Now I'm going to be totally honest, I chose Vriska and Terezi as the first deaths because they're probably 2 of my least favorite characters. But because of their history in the actual comic, it made Terezi's death kind of ironic right?**

**Well Love ya guys! Rate and comment and I'll keep the chapters coming!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay of this chapter. Every time I tried to upload it either my internet would kick out (Since my router is around 10 years old) or it just wouldn't cooperate. But here is the next one, I hope you guys enjoy it. And the reason there are so many page breaks in the middle is because it's kind of changing POV's but not in a sense. It doesn't really make sense but you'll get it when you read it. Anyways keep bringing feedback and/or criticism, I take both. I know the action isn't as high right now but I'm trying to get everyone introduced and then action and tragedy will kick in even more hehe. But love you guys! Stay frosty :3**

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John examined the box of cookies. There were only small chunks and crumbs left. He groaned and ate the last bit then threw the box over his shoulder ignoring the faint thump it made. He was starving. Rose and Kanaya had gone to scavenge around the house; maybe they'll find something. He peeked through the torn up blue curtain and examined the front lawn. There were seven of them in the group total: Him, Rose, her girlfriend Kanaya, Some awkward kid Kanaya knew named Tavros, a nerd called Sollux, then there was Roxy, and Jake. They haven't found Jane or Dirk yet, or Jade and Dave for that matter. Hopefully they were OK. He watched a few of the zombies bump into the fence as they wandered by. One zombie had chunks of skin hanging from his face. Gross. He looked around more. There were kid toys scattered around the yard; one of those 3-wheeled red plastic bikes for toddlers lie on its side. The owners of this house must've had a kid. He closed the curtain to avoid thinking about the past and walked along the wall and heard a crunch under his sneaker. He looked down to see shattered glass along the wall, broken picture frames scattered around. He bent down and brushed some glass off a photo and picked it up. A family of four a father, mother, a toddler, and a baby. They looked happy and at peace. He set the picture on the windowsill and plopped himself on the couch.

A door creaked open and Sollux entered the room, muttering to himself like usual. He was an interesting character; he was completely opposite. One blue shoe and the other red, black baggy pants and a baggy red and blue tie die t-shirt, and weird 3D-like glasses. His hair was messy and somewhat uneven. At least it all blended together. John watched Sollux wander the room lost in thought and snickered quietly when he tripped over an abandon pair of shoes. He felt daggers shot at him and glanced over at Sollux, who was starring at him. Guess you really can feel people glare at you behind glasses. John smiled apologetically then looked away. He had to find something to do. Even in some apocalyptic world where everything went to hell, he still had a terrible habit of being bored.

He rose to his feet and started to wander down the hall. The carpet was horribly stained, his feet sticking to a couple spots, other spots making a gross sploshing noise when you stepped down. He grimaced and entered the first room on his left to escape the hall. He seen Tavros digging through a night stand, ignoring John. John raised an eyebrow and glanced over to the closet. Better than nothing. He walked over and opened the closet. Empty. He sighed and backed up then blinked, there was a hidden box on the top. He rolled the desk chair over and climbed up and pulled the box down. It was a simple shoebox. He removed the lid and blinked. A stack of playboy magazines lies inside with some tissues. He gagged and let the box drop to the floor and hopped off the chair. He heard Tavros approaching, probably to check out what you dropped. Let him have them, they'd be cool if they weren't gross. There wasn't anything in the room it was pretty small. There were marks on the wall to show things were hung up at one time. Maybe it was the little kid's room, or the baby's room. He felt a lump form in his throat at the thought of those poor kids. He shook his head and quickly exited the room and entered the one across the hall.

Rose and Kanaya were in this one. They sat beside each other on the bed flipping through some kind of book. John walked over, stepping over a few toys lying on the floor and stopped in front of them. They both glanced up at him then back to the light pink book. There were hundreds of pages inside, cute little stickers and shapes glued to them. Then it hit John. This was a scrapbook for the daughter. Each page was filled with pictures, pieces of art, memories of this little girl. He reached down slowly and let his fingers trace a picture of her. It was a sunny day and she wore a cute little sundress, the biggest smile painted on her face.

"Her name was Melony," Rose spoke softly and shut it to show the front cover. It was a plush cover with little birds, butterflies, and flowers scattered around. In big bubble letters the name 'Melony' was designed on the cover.

"It's so sad..." John muttered, staring at the name.

"Why don't you go check out the kitchen John, see if I missed anything." Kanaya suggested and John nodded, shuffling out of the room.

"But you found what you could," Rose said, confused.

"I know but I had to get him out, seeing that little girl really upset him." Kanaya explained, rubbing circles into the back of Rose's hand with her thumb. Rose nodded and laid her head on Kanaya's shoulder.

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Karkat kicked a stone repeatedly every few steps. It was a lame attempt to escape everything, but it was better than nothing. The slightly noise it made felt like it echoed on forever with how quiet the street was. They were all exhausted but didn't want to stop. Nepeta had practically fallen asleep while walking so Equius has been carrying her bridal-style. With how petite she is compared to him it shouldn't faze him. As for Dave, well Karkat couldn't see through his sunglasses so he had no clue, but his posture revealed that he was ready to collapse. Karkat frowned. He hated seeing Dave like this. He looked around for somewhere safe to take a brake. They were about to exit a small business district and into the housing areas. There should be a house somewhere to rest. They came to the corner of the street and he scanned carefully for any movement. There were only a handful of zombies wandering around. Equius shook Nepeta awake and set her down on her feet. She yawned and pulled out her knuckle blade and secured it on her fingers.

"I got them," she spoke and snuck around behind one of the houses. Karkat spotted her crawling along a fence, approaching one of the zombies. It was the prey and she was the hunter. She prowled closer then reached up and gripped its ripped shirt, pulling it over the fence and jamming her blade into its head, not gaining the attention of any of the other zombies. She was really good and knew what she was doing. She army crawled to the next lawn and repeated what she did with the last zombie.

* * *

John was glancing out the window again and jumped as a zombie was pulled over a fence. He blinked, not sure if he was just imagining it. Maybe it tripped? He squinting his eyes, looking closer and spotted a splash of blue zoom to another yard. Suddenly, another zombie disappeared. His jaw dropped. They were killing the zombies!

"Rose!" John hollered. The blonde entered the room quickly. "Someone is out there. They're killing the zombies!" John pulled the curtain back more to show everyone. When he realized the flaw in the idea, it was too late. The last remaining zombies spotted them and started to hobble towards the house, being stopped by the fence.

"Way to go you idiot!" Sollux snapped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through all the way!" John defended himself.

"Enough you too. Maybe this vigilantly killed will notice and help us." Roxy interjected between the two. They all forgot about the argument and focused on the window again.

* * *

Nepeta peeked through the fence and noticed the zombies crowding by one house. She looked closer and noticed people inside, living people. She leans up and waves her arm, getting Karkat's attention and points to the house. Soon after she hops over the fence and sprints over, barreling into the group. Knocking them over like dominoes, then hops the fence before they can touch her. She kneels down and starts jabbing her blade into their skulls through the fence before they can get up. Once she's finished, she rechecks them all then stands and motions for her group to approach.

Equius hurries over the fastest and checks Nepeta, making sure she's unharmed, them pats her head while applauding her. She giggles and hugs him. Karkat and Dave then enter the yard and hear the door creak open. Roxy peeks out and stares at Dave then squeals and runs over, hugging him tightly.

"Dave! You're alive!" She exclaims. Dave gasps for air while Karkat steps aside, trying to push down his jealousy. "Hurry inside everyone!" She ushers everyone in and shuts the door behind her.

Karkat looks around the feels someone grab his arm and pulls him into a tight embrace. He blinks, startled then manages to look up and see's the motherly expression. His eyes grow wide and he quickly wraps his arms around the person. It was Kanaya; she was still alive. Kanaya had raised him since 7th grade so she was practically his mom. He gripped her shirt tightly and buries his face into her chest, trying not to cry. She rubbed his back tenderly and kisses the top of his head. She was relieved to see him safe. She recognized Dave after being with Rose for so long. So that pushed a lot of her worry away. She looked up to see Rose and Dave hugging, Rose smiling brightly. She almost had her whole family back, but they were still missing a couple. Sollux wandered over and tapped Karkat's shoulder. When Karkat glanced over and he gasped, releasing Kanaya and hugging Sollux tightly. Sollux smiled and hugged back. Kanaya looked over and noticed Dave watching, looking annoyed. She gasped silently, realizing what was going on.

Dave quickly stumbled over and pulled Karkat away gently. "I want you to meet my family Karkat." Dave smiled and took the smaller male's hand, guiding him, as a blush appeared on Karkat's face. "Roxy, Rose, this is my friend Karkat. Karkat, this is Roxy and Rose."

"Oh this is the boy you were always talking about!" Roxy realized and smiled. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Karkat. I wish the circumstances could be different."

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you both as well." Karkat stutters nervously.

"Don't forget about me!" A boy yells, hurrying over. He had messy black hair and a filthy blue hoody. He had kind eyes but Karkat couldn't get over his large teeth. He forced himself to look up at Dave with a questioned look.

"This is John, my friend I've known for years." Dave answers Karkat's look.

"Nice to finally meet you Karkat! I'm John!" John exclaims excitedly, shaking Karkat's hand roughly, moving his entire arm. Karkat smiled a fake smile and pulls his hand away, rubbing his shoulder. Dave chuckles and ruffles his crush's' hair.

"Don't break him John. So who's the two-colored kid? I know Kanaya." Dave asks.

"Oh um this is one of my best friends, Sollux." Karkat told him. Sollux and Dave looked at one another simultaneously, looking each other over. Sollux gathered that Dave was some loser who that he was God's gift to the earth, strolling around and having girls throw themselves at him. Dave decided that Sollux was some OCD freak with opposite colors and must have had everything colored like his wardrobe. He seemed like the guy who'd use computers a lot too. Karkat sighed and nudged Dave lightly. "Be Nice."

"Everyone this is Tavros. We found him all alone. He's a very sweet boy so be nice." Kanaya announces and smiles over at Tavros, who had been hiding in the corner of the room. He blinks and waves his hand slightly at the new members and they al smile. Tavros knew they were no threat, but he was still nervous. He just wanted to find Gamzee.

As hours passed and the sun had set, soon the moon took its perch in the sky. Nice and full for the world to see. The light illuminating the streets below, bringing shadows to life and letting them dance across everything. The night chilled the air but the moon always made it seem nicer then it was, brightening up everything. The now larger group had formed a circle in the living room, using clothing and blankets to keep themselves warm. They shared food, passing around a large can of pears and a box of chicken crackers. They were sharing stories of things before the zombies started, even a couple after it started. As Karkat watched and listened, he realized that this disaster wasn't always all that bad. Look at them now, all laughing and enjoying themselves. Like it's one giant sleep over. He couldn't help but smile. No one was treating this like it may be the last time they ever smile or laugh, they're enjoying it because it's something to enjoy. He jumped slightly as a body moved next to his. He glanced over and seen Dave sit beside him, not even an inch between them.

"You're not cold?" Dave asked. When they were passing blankets out, Karkat put himself last. He made sure all the girls, Dave and Sollux got one for sure. He gave the only two big coats to John and Tavros. Nepeta offered to share her blanket with Equius, and he already had his leather jacket. After all of that the only thing that was really left was a thin hoodie. Karkat shrugged. He was actually freezing, but he didn't mind. As long as everyone was happy, he was too. Dave chuckled and opened up his blanket. He wrapped an arm around Karkat, pulling him close, the blanket now around both of them. A blush formed on Karkats face. "I'll keep you warm."

"So were you all just going to hang out in this house?" Nepeta asked John's group.

"There's actually a group held up in one of the museums just a few miles away. They've got a nice set up, lots of food. Before we picked up Sollux and Tavros, A girl named Aradia had found us and told us about it, told us we were more than welcome to join them." Kanaya explained, rubbing circles into Rose's hand with her thumb.

"Sounds kind of far fetched." Equius mumbled.

"It sounds purrfect, but what if he's right? What if it really is a trick? I don't want something to happen and tear the group apart that we just made." Nepeta added in. She glances over at Karkat and Dave hoping for a bit of support.

Karkat met her eyes for a moment and felt a lump for on his heart. She had a point. It'd be amazing if it was true, but the chances of something like that actually being there. What if it was a trick to get groups to come by so they could take all of their things? Or there's nothing there at all? There are so many things that could go wrong and going by just a stranger's mere word was really hard to go off. Karkat sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. "Lets all get some sleep and we'll figure it out in the morning."

Everyone decided he was right and began picking spots to sleep. Rose, Kanaya, Nepeta, and Roxy decided to all sleep in the little girl's room. John had decided to sleep on the large chair, Equius got the couch because of his size while Tavros and Jake made a makeshift bed on the floor, and Dave and Karkat got to share the other bed in the parents room. Karkat climbs onto the bed and crawls under the blanket, watching Dave do the same. Dave smiles and pulls the smaller boy close, ignoring his fake complaints. Finally Karkat gave up and relaxed in the others arms, they were his sanctuary.

"Do you think the museum thing is real?" Karkat mumbles and feels movement as Dave shrugs his shoulders.

"Don't have a clue, but it's worth a shot. If it's a bust then we can always come back here."

"Honestly, as long as I stay with you then I don't really care where we go." Karkat blushes slightly, nuzzling Dave's chest. Dave smiles at the affection and kisses the top of his head. The two finally fall asleep, never separating.

* * *

A Girl walked along the fence of the museum. She had long chocolate brown hair that, once had looked very nice and wavy, was tangled and straggly from the events that have happened. She wore a tight black T-shirt a torn-up black skirt that ended just below her knees. Scratches painted her legs from top to bottom, her arms matching, from some of the weird places she's had to crawl through. She usually scouted around, trying to find other people and bring them here to the museum. The beginning group she formed was doing great and wanted to share it. Mankind was ending and she didn't want to be a factor in the end.

She heard groaning not far and stopped, glancing around the outer area. A single zombie was shuffling slowly towards her. It was an older one; you could tell by all the flesh falling off the bones. She removed the bow from around her and pulled out an arrow, propping it up with the bow. She drew the string back and aimed the sharp tip at the zombie. After taking a deep breath and holding it for just a second, she released. The air whipped through the air and shot straight into the zombie's left eye, making the undead man collapse. She's done archery for years, which helped, but she also hated guns. She discovered that they're attracted to sound so a bow was the perfect weapon for stealthy kills.

"Nice shot as always." A voice spoke behind her. She twirled around and spotted a tall blonde approaching her. His blonde hair was spiked towards the back, an orange and white baseball cap resting on top of his head. His eyes were blocked by pointed black shades, making his expressions always hard to read. He wore simple blue jeans and a simple white shirt with an orange and white baseball cap n it to match the one he wears.

"Finished everything?" The girl asked as she put her bow back around her body. The man nodded in response as he reached her and studied the now-permanently-dead corpse. "There's still so many people out the ya know. Just let me go look some more. Know I can bring more in." She began to plead.

"My answer stays the same. We almost lost you on your last 'expedition'. Normally I'd let you, but you're a vital member to this group." He argued, putting her in her place.

The girl groaned, knowing she was defeated. She placed her forehead against one of the cold bars of the fence and stared out at the streets. She figured they'd be empty but spotted movement. It seemed human-like, not zombie-like. She squinted her eyes to see better but it didn't help. The man watched also. As the figure grew closer, it grew taller. It was clearly a male. He had terrible posture, slouching as he walked. He wore an odd mask to cover his face, but his curly poof of hair probably would've done the job for him. Baggy polka dot pajama pants, seeming a little too short, covered his long skinny legs. He finally reached the gate, standing about a yard away.

"Can we help you sir?" The girl asked, weary of the man's presence. He didn't seem dangerous but she knew something was off about him. He remained silent and stared down at her.

"I suggest you answer her," the blonde added in, trying to threaten the stranger.

After another long moment the pajamad crusader took his leave. The other two stood there confused. They watched him walk off and disappear down an ally. The girl had a funny feeling in her gut, which was usually never wrong. She played with the bracelet that was looped around her wrist. It wasn't hers but she had found it on the ground one day. Picking it up saved her. If she hasn't bent down to pick it up then she would've been shot, so she's treated it as her lucky charm ever since then.

"That was weird." The blonde finally spoke.

"Definitely," she answered. "I don't trust him. Don't ever let him through our gates. I have a feeling he likes to cause trouble.

"Alright."

She watched the blonde begin to walk away and went to follow him. Before she did she took one last glance in the direction the giant man went. She eyed the mouth of the ally and spotted him watching her back. Chills shot down her spine and she quickly followed behind the man. She was praying that the stranger wouldn't pull anything, but she didn't put it past him either.


End file.
